


Symptoms of shadows

by SaltyModern



Category: sallyface - Fandom
Genre: Demon, Gay, M/M, ghost - Freeform, m/m - Freeform, portable moose, sallyface, salxtravis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:33:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23746120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaltyModern/pseuds/SaltyModern
Summary: Sallyface and his high school friends are on their final year of high school. The cult and the shadows become stronger every minute and don’t show any signs of leaving. Sal hopes that his school bully, Travis Phelps, would join their side. They form a metal band as a disguise for their secret demon-busting team.
Relationships: Sal Fisher/Travis Phelps, Travis Phelps/Sal Fisher, sal/travis, travis/sal
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Sal sat on the edge of Larry’s treehouse as his friend let out a puff of smoke from his pierced lips. Sal watched the setting sun drown out the light of the ending day, unbuckling his mask to allow the night breeze to kiss his dented skin. Larry looked over, his brown hair wisping in the cool night drift.  
“Sal?”  
“Yeah, LarBear?”  
“What did Travis do to you, if you don’t mind me asking,”  
“He didn’t do anything but spout slurs at me as always. There’s nothing to worry about,”  
“Are you sure?”  
“Yeah. I’m gonna go back to my apartment,”  
“Goodnight, Sallyface,”  
“Goodnight, LarryFace.” Sal sighed, buckling his mask and climbing down onto the wet grass. He looked up at Larry, his gaze focused on the sky. The moonlight always suited him best.

Sal unlocked the door to his apartment and trudged in. Henry was draped over the couch with a bottle in his hand. He bent over to pick up the empty booze bottle and threw it in the trash. Gizmo greeted him at the door to his bedroom with a loving slow-blink. He unbuckled his mask and set it on the headboard of his bed and plucked his glass eye from his socket, watching it plop quietly into the glass, the eye bobbing until it made a complete rotation to stare back at Sal. He broke his gaze from the eye to Gizmo, who gave him a beckoning glance.

Sal climbed under the covers and gently stroked Gizmo, his eyes fluttering shut. All was silent and dark for what felt like years. His body went numb and he dashed through an infinite forest. He heard a shrilling scream echo in the sky, causing a murder or crows to flee into the distance. He ran faster and faster until he was running on pure adrenaline. He’s had these dreams before, but he’s never run this fast before. He could hear whispering in his ears that sounded completely indecipherable. He heard dogs barking and paws hitting the forest floor at a quicker pace than Sal’s feet. He raises his arms to unbuckle his mask and threw it on the the ground, tripping over himself. He let out terrified sobs as he ran until he couldn’t anymore, his knees giving out under him. The invisible dogs materialized and multiplied like rabbits and Sal sobbed, his hands shrinking until he was just a small child again with his tiny hands covering his face. His mother appeared before him, moving through the sea of dogs with ease, her face gone entirely. He trembled as his faceless mother lowered herself to grab him before he felt a searing pain in his face, his own horrified screams being the last thing he heard before waking up.

Gizmo raised his head and moved up to sit on Sal’s lap as he raised like a corpse rising from their coffin. He covered his mouth to stop his screaming and hugged Gizmo out of fear. He shook and trembled, focusing on the sound of cat purrs until he could untense. Sal exhaled slowly, drying his tear-stained cheeks and bit his split lip as he moved to the couch to sleep. His father had already gone back to his own room to sleep long ago. Gizmo followed, pushing up against Sal’s face. He wrapped himself in his blanket like a burrito and slept for the remaining hours.

Gizmo pawed at Sal’s face as his alarm went off. He got up from the couch and put his eye back in its socket and put on his mask, staring himself down in the mirror, the black eye holes of the mask staring back. Gizmo pushed the bathroom door open and hopped into the bathtub, prompting Sal to cover his eyes and shut the door behind him before heading off to school with Larry and Todd.

(Tw: homophobic slurs)

He entered the school building and immediately started looking around for Travis.  
“Hey, where’s Travis?” Sal prompted  
“I don’t know. He’s probably sulking somewhere,” Larry shrugged and moved to his locker.  
“Oh. Yeah, you’re probably right,” he sighed, sidling up next to Larry to dig through his own locker. He picked up his stuff and headed for the boy’s bathroom and saw Travis trudging into it. He poked his head through and made an obvious throat clearing noise and watched Travis whip his head around.  
“Oh look, it’s SallyFace! The damn fag who’s come to watch me piss. What do you want, fuck wad?”  
“Oh, hey! I’ve been looking for you, Travis!” Sal said cheerily, shuttling the door behind him.  
“I said what do you want, freak?”  
“I wanted to see how you were doing,” Sal said, scratching his hand. Travis paused for a moment and shook his head.  
“I’m fine, bitch. Leave me alone and go back to your fag friends and let me piss in peace!” Travis growled and slammed the stall door. Sal flinched and backed up.  
“Uh- okay, I’ll come check back later,”  
“Ugh.” Travis grumbled begins the stall doors before Sal escaped the bathroom with his things.


	2. Chapter 2

Sal lowered his head onto his desk, closing his eyes to make up for lost sleep. Mrs. Packerton jabbed him with a ruler vigorously, Travis giving an evil smirk. Sal nudged the ruler away and lifted his head with his eyes locking onto the teacher’s.  
“Sal Fisher!”  
“Yeah?”  
“We’re not even halfway through class yet! Please keep your head up,” she scolded, turning back to the front of the class. Travis glared at Sal, but turned his head away the moment Sal turned his masked face in his direction. Sal tilted his head a little and Travis tried to avoid Sal’s gaze.  
“Uh-“  
“Shut it, freak,” Travis hissed quietly  
“Boys, be quiet,” Mrs Packerton said, pointing her ruler at Travis and he lowered his head.  
“You shouldn’t be talking with your grades the way they are, Phelps. So close to graduation and you’re still behind. You could learn a thing or two from Sal,” She said, before wiping everything off of the chalkboard. Travis grumbled and went back to his paper.  
“Psst, Trav,” Sal whispered  
“What?” Travis snapped, which didn’t bother or surprise Sal at all.  
“I could help you study for the test and raise your grades,”  
“Forget it. I’m not going to go anywhere near you and your freak-show friends. I don’t hang out with fags,” he snipped. Sal drew back slowly and turned away.  
“We’re not all gay, y’know. Only Todd, that I know of,”

Travis’s tense face faltered and he turned away with crossed arms. He seemed to sink into his chair and he seemed deep in thought. The bell rang and Travis hurried out of the classroom, leaving Sal to pick up his stuff in confusion. Mrs Packerton approached him, her hand on her hip.  
“Y’know, he has it pretty rough and he needs to complete this class. Maybe you could help him a little. You’re the only student who has ever tried to approach him,”  
“I know. But he refuses to let me help him. I’ve tried,” he sighed, turning to leave.  
“He just needs a little push. Maybe you’re the only one that can do it for him. I’m not saying you have to, but he could really use a friend,” she sighed before moving back to her desk. Sal carries his stuff with him and headed out of class. He went to the lunch room and set his stuff down on the floor next to him. He didn’t feel like eating his lunch today. Ashley wrapped her arm around him and smiled warmly

“Not gonna eat today, Sal?”  
“Nah. I don’t really feel like eating right now,”  
“Are you sure? Did Travis make you lose your appetite?”  
“No, Ash,” he sighed, letting out a pathetic chuckle. Ashley Campbell had been his freshman crush up until his late sophomore year. He never really admitted it to her back then but he didn’t think it was important. He decided focusing on his studies was more important because of his college plans. The crush didn’t last as long as he thought it would. He stood up abruptly and began heading over to where Travis was sitting alone. Travis looked up from his lunch and stared at Sal, something behind his eyes softening, but his face scrunched into a scowl.  
“Stop trying to talk to me, fag!”  
“Hi, Travis,” he said, completely avoiding the aggression as his friends watched from the other side of the room like a family of hawks.  
“What the fuck do you want?”  
“I want to know if you’re doing okay,”  
“I told you I’m fine!”  
“And I don’t believe it,”  
“Just go away before I punch a hole in that ugly ass mask!” He growled, standing up. Larry and Ash ran over and caught Travis’ fist before it hit Sal, slamming him up against the cafeteria wall.  
“Don’t you dare touch him!” Ash yelled.  
“Shut up bitch!” Travis choked and Larry raised his fist. Sal hurried around the table over to his friends.  
“Don’t hit him! Please!” Sal begged, gently tugging on Larry. Larry scoffed and dropped a weary Travis, leaving him gasping for air. Sal crouched down beside Travis and he scooted back, holding his hands over his face out of reflex.

“Travis, are you okay?”  
Silence. Travis trembled and curled up into a ball and covered his face in the corner.  
“Sal, what’re you doing? He tried to hurt you,” Larry said, calming down a little.  
“I know,”  
“Sal, step back-“ Ash said calmly  
“No, it’s okay,” Sal said, pulling Travis in gently. Travis tried to run away but Sal wouldn’t let him. Sal pulled him into a hug and Travis growled.  
“Fucking fags. Just leave me alone,” he begged weakly. He gently pounded on Sal’s back to be released but Sal hugged tighter, with Travis breaking down and crying in his shoulder. Sal rubbed his back and cradled the bruised Christian boy. Sal slipped something into Travis’ pocket and beckoned Ash and Larry to join in. They reluctantly wrapped their arms around the boys in a group hug as Travis tried to hold his tears in out of desperacy. A group of school staff ran over to them and began questioning what was going on. The entire cafeteria took interest in the event, a few standing in chairs to get a better view. Sal slowly rose to his feet, guiding Travis with him. He didn’t say anything as he sat Travis down and wiped his tears.

“Woah,” Larry mumbled as they walked back to their respective table. Todd inspected Sal for him.  
“Are you okay, Sal?” Todd and Maple both spoke. He nodded and they all stood and filed out of the cafeteria to finish off their school day. They have a test in two days and their graduation will be held next week. They all felt a bit jittery and anxious about it.  
“Hey, do you know what happened to Travis? We didn’t see that dickhead since lunch,” Larry questioned Sal as they made their way into the apartments. He shrugged and went to Larry’s basement room and plopped into a beanbag.  
“Why should I know?”  
“I don’t know. I’m kinda curious, though,”  
“Yeah, so am I,”  
“Do you wanna listen to Sanity’s Fall?”  
“Fuck yeah!” Sal said as Larry went to play the song. They both stood up and began head banging, with Sal’s pigtails whipping him across his face as they screamed in unison. Sal always felt closer to Larry when they jammed out like this. It’s what connected them in the first place. He chuckled and fell into his friend’s arms and they laughed as the music screamed and shredded multiple notes. Larry Hugged him and swung him around. Being the short friend comes with advantages and disadvantages, but one of said advantages is that he could be carried easily.

Larry playfully plopped him onto beanbag and continued to headbang and Sal laughed. Lisa came in to check on them and giggled.  
“Don’t stay up too late, boys. Do you need anything?”  
“Nah, mom!”  
“We’re good, Lisa,”  
“Okay!” She said, shutting the door.  
Sal and Larry decided to settle down and sleep for the night after the song ended. Sal unbuckled his mask and set it beside him on the floor.  
“Goodnight, Sallyface,”  
“Goodnight, Larryface.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (These first couple/few chapters might be a bit boing and uneventful but it’s just a calm before the storm, I apologize)

Tw: mentions of physical violence/abuse

Travis has gotten home and tried to sneak past his father, who was in the kitchen. He shut his eyes tightly and slowly walked past.  
“Travis, is that you?” A voice broke the silence. Travis covered his mouth and froze completely in the dark hallway. His father crept out of the kitchen and approached Travis in the darkness.  
“What are you doing?”  
“Going back up to study and catch up on-“  
“Shut up,” Kenneth growled. The man saw the bruises on Travis’ face and scoffed  
“You didn’t even fucking clean yourself up?”  
“I tried,” he said quietly  
“Whatever. Go study. But I’ll be in there to check on you to make sure you’re doing what you’re supposed to. Your grades in that one bitch’s class is way too low. I’d expect more from a kid whose graduation is right around the corner,” he scolded. Travis nodded and began shaking a little.  
“Fucking go already!” He boomed and turned away and left the house. Travis waited until he could hear the car roar to life before running up the stairs to his room with fearful tears in his eyes. He slammed his door and the cross hanging on his door fell and cracked over his head and tears pooled over his cheeks. He quickly picked up the broken pieces of the porcelain cross with a small statue of Jesus that stared back at him. He tried his best to tape it back together and hang it back up. His father told him that ‘God was always watching’ and that he would be his father’s spare eyes to make sure he didn’t sin. He felt like it was all fake and pathetic and hoped that when he graduated that he could finally leave.

“Huh?” He shuffled and dug into his pocket, pulling something out. A small smile played on his lips and he chuckled, stashing the object back in his pocket.  
“Oh, Sal. Of course you would.”

Travis felt his chest tighten and his face heated up.  
“No, I need to stop. This isn’t how a boy should feel, especially not about another boy. I need to focus more on my religious studies,” he stuttered, pulling out a bible and reading it to take his mind off of things. He thought back to the test that was coming up. That will be his final test and he wasn’t prepared for it at all. He thought about Sal’s offer and pondered the option. He desperately wanted to get to know the other boy better and see him outside of school. He remembered the feeling of warmth and care in the way Sal had hugged him, which is something he’s never felt before. He heard his father’s car pull up in the driveway and he set his open bible on his bed and pulled out random school supplies to seem like he was studying. He heard slow footsteps approaching on the stairs leading up to his room and he tried his best to look busy

Kenneth opened his door and gave him a suspicious look and crept in, standing tall and looking around. He spotted the open bible and nodded with a stern look.  
“Oh uh- hey dad?”  
“What do you want?”  
“Can I study at a friend’s house tomorrow?” He asked quietly, fiddling with a pencil. His father looked at him accusingly  
“To study? That’s it?”  
“Yes, sir,”   
“Whatever. I don’t care. Take your bible with you and remember what I told you,” he grumbled as he slammed the door. Travis flinched and rubbed his bruises. He decided to go to Sal’s house and study with him tomorrow. The thought of it had actually gotten him a bit excited.

“We should start a band,” Larry said as his feet hit the floor. Sal rose upwards and stretched.   
“A band? You mean like, a metal band?”  
“Yeah, bro! You, me, Ash, and Todd!” Larry laughed.  
“Lets get through college first, Then we’ll consider making a band, LarryFace,” Sal grinned as he strapped his mask to his face. The boys had gotten dressed and headed out with their bags on their backs. Larry wrapper his arm around Sal’s shoulders and joked with each other along the way.  
“So, have you heard from Megan lately?”  
“No. She’s been hiding again lately. As a matter of fact, I haven’t really come to into contact with any others ghosts either,” he said with his head lowered.  
“Oh. I wonder where they went. Do you think the red eyed demon came back? Perhaps that’s why they’re hiding from us?”  
“Maybe. But if that’s the case then we need to start doing our research and search for it after we graduate. We can’t let it come back and manifest into something bigger,” Sal said grimly as they got onto school property and went to their usual business. Ash came and greeted the boys with a smile.

“Hey, what’s up?”  
“Nothing much, Ash,” Sal mumbled  
“Yeah, we haven’t seen any ghosts lately,” Larry Sigurd and ash tilted her head.  
“You two are still going on about ghosts?”  
“We know you don’t believe in them, but try to sympathize and understand,” Sal said and ash sighed.  
“Of course, Sal,” ash smiled softly and messed up his hair a little. He gave her a hug and Larry joined in. He turned and released ash and saw Travis sulking in a corner by the bathroom. He turned to approach him but Travis looked up and ran to the bathroom. Sal turned to follow him but Larry placed his hand on his shoulder with a shaking head. Sal turned away to get to class. He waited until Mrs Packerton’s class so he could see Travis. He had a feeling that he was trying to avoid Sal.

Travis came to class late, a new bruise had appeared on his face and his hands were red. He locked eyes with Travis, but Travis most likely couldn’t see Sal’s eyes because of the mask but they were connected via vibe.  
“Travis?” Sal whispered, his scarred face scrunching up in concern behind his mask. Travis whipped around to insult him but Mrs Packerton tapped her ruler on her desk to call attention and Travis turned away, seeming colder than usual. Travis didn’t glance at him once during class and he felt a bit hurt. The bell rang and Travis escaped Sal again. He decided just to leave it alone and went to lunch with his friends. 

“Why do you look so sad, Sallyface?” Larry asked as Sal had unbuckled the bottom straps of his mask to eat. He shrugged as he shoveled food into his mouth. Larry and Ash exchanged a worried look and Todd sighed.   
“Maybe it’s a personal thing,”  
“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t wanna, Sal,” Ash cooed and wrapped her arms around him. Sal glances over at Travis’ table where he sat alone and Todd nodded in silent understanding.  
“So Sal, I’ve been told that your bathroom apparition hasn’t been appearing lately?”  
“Yeah, Megan’s naturally shy but she’s never been in hiding like this before. We’re scared red eyes is back,” he sighed and Todd’s eyes widened slightly and he nodded. “Can I work on your guitar after school today?” Todd spoke suddenly.  
“Oh uh sure. Just don’t do anything to it that you know I’d regret,” he chuckled.

He turned back to see that Travis was walking over cautiously. Larry and Ash bristled protectively and scooted closer to Sal. Travis fumbled with his hands and Sal smiled behind his mask.  
“Oh hey, Travis!”  
“Hey, Sallyface,”  
“What do you want, Travis?” Larry said in a clearly annoyed tone. Travis flinched and lowered himself to Sal’s sitting height and his hands twitched nervously.  
“Is your study offer still up?”  
“Oh! Do you wanna study with me?”  
“Sure, whatever,” he sighed, averting his gaze.  
“You can come to my apartment to study with me!” Sal said cheerfully and Travis’ face showed discomfort as Larry and Ash glared dagger at him.  
“Fine, whatever,” Travis said, turning to leave.  
“Just don’t let him come near my apartment,” Larry said and Sal nodded.  
“Of course not, Larry. I know how you feel towards him,” Sal replies cheerily. Ash raised a brow at Larry and he smirked.

“Sounds gay,” Larry chuckled and Sal tilted his head.  
“You’re gay,” Sal laughed, gently punching Larry In his arm. The bell rang and all of the students filed out again. Sal waiter until the end of the day to organize study material for Travis and walked out of his class and headed toward the front of the building and waited for Travis.


	4. Chapter 4

Sal caught eye of Travis, who kept his head down and looked up at Sal. He tilted his head and beckoned Travis closer. Travis froze in his tracks and stared at him like a deer in headlights and covered his face before coming closer.  
“Let’s just get this over with, freak,” Travis growled and took Sal’s arm and began leading him out of the building before releasing his soft grip and recoiling once he’s realized what he did.  
“Are you alright, Travis?” Sal said worriedly as he ran a little to catch up to Travis.   
“Yes! Why do you keep asking me that?” He growled and Sal stared at him blankly through his mask and Travis turned away out of discomfort from Sal’s empty stare.   
“Don’t stare at me!”   
“Sorry,” he sighed, taking the lead to walk them to the apartments. As Sal walked, he could feel Travis looking at him and Travis cleared his throat before he could speak.

“So, what will you do after graduation?” Travis asked, tapping his fingers together quietly.  
“Oh. I don’t know. My friends and I were planning to go to college and share a house while we do our schooling but lately things have been uh, well, let’s just say we might need to make a change of plans,” he sighed.  
“Oh. Whatever,” Travis crosses his arms. Sal held the door to the complex open for Travis and he remained silent as he went in. Sal guided him to his apartment and read the note his father left for him on the door.  
“My dad will be out for a while but I told him there’d be a possibility that I’d have someone over. He usually doesn’t care,” Sal said as he crumpled the note and chucked it in the trash.  
“You were expecting me to come?”  
“Not exactly. Just planning in case. If you chose not to then I would’ve just had Larry or Todd over,” he explained and unbuckled his lower straps on his mask and untied his hair on both sides. Travis’ face flushed and he seemed a bit surprised.  
“I’ve never seen your hair out of your fag-tails before he said, looking over Sal’s half-undone mask and blue hair cascading over his shoulders. 

Sal led Travis to his room and invited him to sit on his bed next to him. Travis stood, rubbing his arm and he had a nervous look on his face.   
“Travis, it’s okay. Nothing is gonna happen,” he said gently and Travis trudged over reluctantly and sat next to him. Sal began rambling about math and spread out several papers and other various supplies. Sal realized Travis was lost and wasn’t very engaged in what he was saying and slowed down the pace and tried making it more interesting. But engaging him via interest was difficult because he didn’t know much about Travis at all. Let alone what he was interested in. But he noticed that Travis began to perk up and gain more interest in the subject and smiled.  
“So, do you think you’ve got it so far?”  
“Yeah, I think so,”   
“Well, then you should probably be prepared for our final test and then you can carry on with your life,” he said as he packed up the study material in a bad and handed it to Travis.  
“You can look those over if you want to.” 

Travis mumbled something that was too quiet for Sally to hear and stood up.   
“Well, I’m gonna go,”  
“You sure? You can stay a little longer,” he offered and Travis seemed conflicted and stared off into space.  
“I can’t, Sallyface,”  
“Really? Is it your dad? Does he need you to come home or?”  
“Something like that,” Travis grumbled, clenching his fists.  
“Just another twenty minutes?” Sal urged. He saw new bruises on Travis often and didn’t want him to go back to get more.  
“Fine,” Travis sighed and came back over and sat next to Sal.  
“So what now?” He said annoyedly.  
“Do you wanna talk more? I’d like to be your friend and get to know you better,” he said gently and Travis rolled his eyes.  
“I don’t need to be friends with a bitch-boy like you,” he snarled. He drew back and curled into a ball and Sal closed his eyes and offered him his hand.

“When did you and I meet, Travis?”  
“What?”  
“When did we meet?”  
“During our freshman dance after we started high school. Why?” He said, taking Sal’s hand. He pulled Travis closer into a soft hug and Travis tried to squirm and fight back for a moment and sunk into the hug.   
“Do you want me to stop?”  
“What?”  
“Hugging you. You’re showing signs of discomfort. I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable, Trav,” He said gently and waited for an answer. Travis was silent for a while and he shook his head.  
“Whatever, I don’t fucking care,”  
“I won’t tell your dad or my friends,”  
“Just shut the hell up,” he mumbled into Sal’s lap and clung to him.  
“So four school years? Huh. That’s a long time,” he mumbled and stroked Travis’ hair. He felt the boy shudder under him and pulled him closer.   
“Can you close your eyes for a moment, Trav?”  
“Why?”  
“I need to take my mask off for a while and you won’t like what you’ll see,”   
“Whatever,” he said as he put his hands over his eyes. Sal reaches behind himself and let his mask fall onto the bed beside them.

He got up and sighed.   
“It’s been twenty minutes. Will you be okay going home?”  
“No duh dipshit. Why wouldn’t I be?”   
“I don’t know, but, you can go now. You’re free to stay for the night but if you really must go, nothing will stop you,” he said with his back turned.  
“Alright. I’ll see you later I guess?” Travis said  
“Yeah. Please be safe,”  
“Whatever. Thanks,” 

That’s the first time he’d ever thanked Sal


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry for the boring and uneventful chapters at the beginning. The first chapters were needed to show character relationships   
> Sal: lead singer/guitarist  
> Travis: backup guitarist  
> Larry: drummer   
> Todd: bass guitar  
> Ash: backup singer

Sal sat next to Larry and tuned his guitar. Larry preparer the Super Gear Boy and started testing out the room for any ghosts that could’ve remained.  
“It’s no damn use, Sal. The ghosts have been gone since high school. I don’t think they’re coming back,” he sighed.  
“Surely something must’ve caused them to disappear?” Sal said desperately.  
“Nah, I haven’t seen Red Eyes since we banished it,”  
“Ah, I figured.” He said sadly as he set his modified guitar onto its stand.  
“So when’s our gig?”  
“In six hours. Why?” Larry said as he tied up his matted hair.  
“Okay, we still have time. Can you hand me my phone, LarBear?”  
“You’re still calling me that?” Larry flushed. “That’s embarrassing as hell dude,”   
“It’s still funny. And we’re in my room, it’s not like anyone can hear,”

After they established their band name and performed their first gig, Ash, Larry, Todd, and Travis dyed the ends of their hair blue like Sal’s. He thought it was a bit much but he liked it deep down. After they graduated a couple of years beforehand, it took him forever to convince Travis to join his band. Since they’d given up on their college plans to bust shadow demons, They’d all been living with Todd and his boyfriend. Travis had to move in with them too in order to join them because of his disapproving father.

“So, who’re you texting?”  
“Travis,”  
“Gay,”  
“Oh shut up, Larry,” he sighed and Larry snickered in the corner of his room.  
“So, everyone’s coming, right?”  
“Yup,”  
“Have you heard from Dad and Lisa?”  
“Yeah, Henry isn’t too happy but mom is excited as fuck, dude. She wants to come and support us at one of our shows,”  
“I feel bad that she doesn’t really know the purpose behind all of this. I think we really disappointed them when we told them we bailed out on our college plans to start a metal band,” he chuckled sadly as he went to do stretches to calm down his nerves.  
“So we’re gonna perform at a metal fans convention on the outskirts of Nockfell. Todd said he’d found some strong energy there, but he’s not certain it’s a shadow demon like Red Eyes. We should probably check it out and do more research on the place first. It’s funny how he found it at a nerdy convention of all things,”

Sal beckoned Larry to follow him out of the room and went into the kitchen and greeted Neil.  
“Hey, Neil. Where’s Todd? He needs to help us practice,”  
“Oh! Todd went out with ash to go shopping for certain supplies. I forgot what he said he went out for, though,” he said as he took a sip of coffee.  
“So, no pigtails today?”  
“Nah. I don’t need to wear them around the house anymore. They’re good for performances, though,” he explained and Neil nodded. Sal’s pocket started buzzing and he flipped his phone open and answered.  
“Yeah? Trav, what’s up?” He said as he walked into another room to talk. Larry turned to Neil and whispered “Gayyyyyyy” and chuckled.  
Neil laughed a little at the comment and went to wash the used coffee mug he finished off and Larry headed back to his room, in which Gizmo was currently nesting in since Sal had shut the door before he could make it in. Larry strokes Gizmo’s head and he purred lightly, letting out a meow that sounded like a “gayyyy”. He laughed and nodded.  
“Yeah, he’s gay as hell, ain’t he Gizmo?”  
Gizmo raised a brow at him and shook his head. Larry swore the cat was secretly a human man in a cat disguise. Sal left his room and pocketed his phone and entered Larry’s room.

“Larry,”  
“Yeah?”  
“Travis caught sight of Red Eyes. The dark energy that Todd picked up outside of Nockfell might be Red Eyes or a normal shadow demon but I think they’re trying to spread across the country outside of Nockfell to gain more reach since their plans failed here,” he said, pulling on his hair. Larry sighed and shook his head.  
“Let’s go practice then, dude. We’ll be kicking some demon ass tonight,”  
“Meow,”  
“Hell yeah, Gizmo. Right on.”


	6. Chapter 6

Sal entered the venue and watched the crowd gather beneath them. Travis appeared on stage last next to Sal and rolled his eyes. Sal turner and winked through the mask, knowing fully well that Travis couldn’t see it.   
“Who’s ready to completely fuck up their voices tonight?” Sal spoke smoothly into the microphone. The crowd shouted and nodded in unison.  
“Are you bitches ready?” Sal turner to his friends. They all nodded and Larry held his drumsticks in a ready position and he turned to Travis  
“Especially you, church boy. Are you ready?” He giggled, tightening his pigtails and Travis growled  
“Ohhh, come on. Let’s get this shit!” Sal threw his arm in the air and watched the crowd mirror his movements. 

He began playing the beginning notes and the rest of the band joined in. Todd flipped a switch he implemented in his instrument to track the energy around the area. Sal snuck small glances back to guess what’s going on by Todd’s facial expressions. They finished the first song and called for a break. They all went to the back, Travis taking the lead as he hurried away.  
“Trav?”  
“What?” He snapped  
“Are you okay? Did you not like the attention?” Sal questioned softly and Travis turned away.  
“Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Not right now, at least. Todd, did you find anything?” He demanded impatiently and Todd shot him the dirtiest bitch face known to man.  
“Well, ass-face, since you wanna know so badly, I didn’t pick anything up so we might’ve chased it away. But during the course of the break, it might come back. Now, sit the fuck down somewhere and let me do my business in peace,” Todd said as calmly as ever and Travis seemed taken back. He turned and saw that all the seats were taken and shot another sour look at Todd.  
“You can sit with me, Trav,” Sal offered and he watched Sal carefully as he moved to make room on the seat.  
“I’m fine. I can stand,” he huffed and Todd’s head shot up.  
“Sit with Sal, Travis. It won’t kill you. He’s less likely to kill you than the rest of us if you don’t sit down. You’re making Larry nervous,” Todd sighed and Larry’s head rose quickly as he snapped back into reality.  
“What about me?”  
“Nothing, Larry,” Todd said innocently as he fidgeted with his gadgets. Travis crossed his arms and sat with Sal.

“Not so hard, was it?” Todd cooed and Travis relaxed. Sal scooted a little to give him some more room and kept messing with his guitar, completely forgetting about Travis’ existence. After a while of silence and the only noises was the soft hum of the room and the bustle of metal fans outside, and soft instrument strumming, Travis cleared his throat softly to catch Sal’s attention.  
“When do we go back on?”  
“In about 15 minutes then some other people will take over performing. Why?” Sal turned and put his guitar at rest, looking up at Travis.  
“I just wanted to know,” he sighed and looked at Sal, where they both made semi-indirect eye contact.  
“Okay?” He said, turning back and Travis sighed. Sal seemed worried and offered his hand. He tilted his head and Travis took his hand.   
“That’s new. Are you sure you’re okay?”   
“Yeah. I am. Can I-“ he said before Larry interrupted.  
“Wait, did you find the shadow?”  
“Yeah, it’s circling around the area and I don’t know what it’s up to, but we’re gonna kick it’s ass when we head back onto stage,” Todd nodded, standing up and holding his bass with care. Sal pulled Travis up gently and released his hand. He picked up his guitar and headed back onto the stage.  
“Are you ready for round two?” Ash leaned into the mic and the audience cheered. Sal leaned toward ash   
“is everything alright?”  
“Yeah! Now c’mon, this time it’s a duet,” ash chuckled. Sal readied his guitar and looked to Todd, who nodded firmly and readied his own instrument. Sal started off the first verse, then ash chimed in and sang their hearts out. The longer they went on, the more sweat began to pour down his scarred face behind his mask.

He shredded on his guitar and screamed until his voice couldn’t take it and let ash take the lead. She gave him a warm smile as she sang and he felt relieved as he played the notes on his guitar. She gave him a hinting wink and he nodded, letting the taller girl fall into his arms and he bent her over, both of them singing in unison inches away. The crowd ate it up and he grumbled. He had hoped that they wouldn’t get the wrong idea. He lifted her back up and she wiped off the sweat that was beading down her face. Larry played harder on the drums as the song was drawing closer to the end and a light flashed on their instruments and the light in the whole room turned green. Sal could hear the furious roar of a dissolving shadow demon in his head. He shut his eyes tightly and finished off the song. His head started pounding and his energy drained quickly.  
“Sal, are you okay?” Ash asked quickly as he swayed. She signaled to the others and they made haste off of the stage.  
“Sal? Are you alright? Please talk to me,” ash whispered desperately and he nodded.  
“Yeah, I just feel a bit tired is all. Can we head back home? Please?” Sal begged and she sighed.  
“Of course, Sal,” she hugged him gently and guided him back to their rented van and placed him down in the back. Travis and Larry sat on both sides of him.  
“Larry?” Sal groaned.  
“Yeah, dude?” Larry responded   
“Can you wake me when we get home?” He lowered to a whisper.  
“Yeah, man. Alright,” he smiled lightly and patted his back. Sal drifted off and leaned his head on Larry, to Travis’ dismay. Larry’s eyes shifted to stare deep into Travis’ and he had a glint in his eye. He carefully turned Sal over to lay on Travis’ shoulder and he bristled.  
“What’re you doing?” He hissed quietly. Larry shrugged and continued to look out of the window. Sal slowly wrapped his arms around Travis’ torso and sighed. The taller boy sucked in as much air as possible and held his breath. Larry gave him a smirk and gently tapped Sal awake.  
“We’re here, bud,” he whispered and scooped the small boy up and bridal-carried him to his room. The shaggy boy turned and beckoned Travis to come in.

“Uh,” Travis raised a brow and crossed his arms in the doorway.  
“Don’t ‘uh’ me. I need someone to be with Sal for a bit until Todd can come in and check him out. He’d know more about it than anyone,” Larry said as he got up.   
“Why can’t you babysit him?” Travis glared daggers at Larry and he shot him a look, causing Travis to shrivel under his gaze and he nodded, sitting on the edge of his bed.  
“Travis? Where’s Larry?” Sal questioned as he began sitting up.  
“He just left. He left me to babysitting duty,” he sighed and Sal nodded before laying back down.   
“Do you need anything, Sal?”  
“Why’re you of all people asking me that? I thought I knew you?” Sal laughed softly and Travis rolled his eyes.   
“Larry would kick my ass if I didn’t,” he lied  
“Excuses,” Sal croaked   
“Whatever, man,” Travis turned away.  
“You don’t have to sit at the end of my bed like a cat, you’re free to be by me. You don’t have to, though. I’d never wanna make you uncomfortable, Trav,” Sal offered and Travis looked at him with sadness in his eyes.   
“You know I can’t, Sal,” he sighed.  
“Your dad has no power over you here,”   
“It’s not just that,” The boy said, his voice cracking. Sal’s eyes widened in understanding and he nodded.  
“Ah, that’s okay. But if you change your mind, you’re free to do whatever,” Sal smiled behind his mask. His head sunk further into the pillow and he began drifting to somewhere between his dreams and the waking world and Travis scooted closer, resting his back against the head board beside Sal. He looked up at the other boy through his mask and for once his natural eye could just barely be seen from the darkness of the mask’s eyeholes.  
“Hey, there, Church Boy,” Sal whispered and Travis ignored him.  
“Just go to sleep already,”   
“Yessir,” Sal said drowsily. Travis turned to look down at him and smiled.  
“Have nice dreams, bitch,”


	7. Chapter 7

Sal opened his eyes, rubbing the sore spot where his mask dig into the side of his face. He looked up at Travis, whose eyes were closed. But he’d never moved an inch. He was still sitting up in what seemed to be an uncomfortable position. Sal checked his phone and Todd has left him a message.  
“Hey, Sal. When you wake up, call me. I found out something about yesterday that you might want to know,”  
Great. Sal raised his body slowly on his arms and Travis stirred slightly. He watched him like a statue and slid off the bed. Travis sniffled and curled up into a ball where Sal was. He stood at the doorway, watching Travis curl with a wistful expression before Todd beckoned him from the kitchen. Sal shut the door behind him quietly and padded to Todd, rubbing his eyes under his mask.  
“Did you get any rest?” Todd questioned as he held a screwdriver in his hand. Neil sat across from him with a book and he nodded to Sal.  
“Yeah, I did,”  
“Uh, did Travis? Say something?”  
“No,”  
“Is he asleep?”  
“Yeah, surprisingly. He was asleep when I woke up,”  
“Gay,” Larry coughed then cleared his throat innocently. Sal rolled his eyes and reached to buckle his bottom straps of his mask.  
“So, how did you feel after the performance yesterday?”  
“Yesterday?”  
“You slept for the remainder of the day and night. I don’t know what Travis was doing during that time, but he hadn’t left at all,” Todd smirked. Sal tilted his head innocently, not understanding.  
“Okay?”  
“... never mind,”  
“Uh-“  
“Not like that, Sal,” Neil assured.  
“So, back to the point. I think when we combine all of our instruments together to fight off the darkness, it drains all of your energy. It might’ve hit hard this time because this was the first time. You might build up an immunity to it over time, but we need to make sure you’re fed and energized before performing,” Todd explained and Sal nodded. The front door to the house clicked open and Ash walked through.

She sighed with relief and ran over to hug Sal. She kissed his plastic cheek.  
“I’m glad you’re okay, Sal,” ash giggled and ruffled his hair. Sal smiled and ash tilted her head.  
“Have you taken off your mask and sanitized yet?”  
“No, I’d forgotten to do that,” Sal turned away. Ash reached for his mask straps and raised a brow.  
“Go ahead, Ash,” Sal smiled and she unbuckled his mask. Todd and Neil looked away instinctively and she led him to the bathroom.  
“You know you don’t need to do that, Ash,  
“I know. I was just worried about you, is all,” Ash said as she cleaned up his face. He smiled and closed his eyes. She braided his hair and he leaned in.  
“So, did Travis take care of you well last night?” She whispered and he nodded. She slipped a hair tie off of her wrist and tied off the braid. She set his mask back onto his face and buckled it for him.  
“Thanks, ash,” he chuckled and got up.  
“No problem, Sal,” she walked away into the kitchen with the rest. Sal went back to the room and Travis was sprawled out on the bedding. Sal climbed over him to get back to his side. He nudged Travis awake and the blonde boy’s eyes fluttered open.  
“What the fuck?” Travis grumbled  
“What?” Sal tilted his head. Travis looked around, still half-asleep.  
“The hell?”  
“Are you gonna keep swearing or will you say something with meaning?” Sal sassed. Travis whipped his head around to look at Sal with half-shut eyes and a grumpy look on his face.  
“Sallyface?”  
“Yeah, dude?”  
“Why the hell do you look like a damn mermaid?”  
“What?”  
“You heard me,” he grumbled and walked out of the room. His face looked tear-stained and pink. Sal blinked and shrugged to himself.  
Larry came in and leaned in the doorway.  
“Did y’all-“  
“No. Don’t finish that sentence. I’m going to go get pizza. What do you want on it?” Sal hushed Larry and the taller boy laughed his ass off. He rolled his eyes and put on a black hoodie. Travis was drinking coffee in the kitchen near the counters, huddled to himself away from the others. Sal asked everyone else for pizza topping requests before taking off. He stopped in the doorway and leaned over.  
“Aye, Trav? Want anything?”  
“No,”  
“Aight, so bacon for you. Got it,”  
“W h a t,”  
“Bye! I’ll be back!” Sal chimed and Travis crossed his arms. Sal stepped out into the chilling air and walked down the sidewalk, humming softly. His braid had began to undo itself by the time he made it to the place. He walked out and pulled his hood back up. He ignored the glares he’d gotten from middle aged women on the streets and resumed his humming. He ignored his buzzing phone and walked home happily. He opened the front door and set the pizzas down on the counter for everyone to help themselves to. He shouted for everyone and took a slice to take to Travis with Bacon on it and one pepperoni for himself. He knocked on Travis’ door and wished for an answer.  
“Are you dead in there?”  
Silence.  
“Ello? I’ve got a bacon pizza screaming your name!”  
Silence, but soft thumping and the door swung open.  
“What?”  
“Pizza,”  
“Whatever,”  
“Bacon pizza,” Sal grinned and Travis glared at him through slit eyes. He reached for the pizza and closed the door. Sal sighed and went to his respective room. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and looked at the name of whoever messaged him.  
“Thanks, Ig” Travis sent to him from another room.  
“You know, you could talk to me in person,”  
“Fine. Come to my room. But don’t be a bitch,”  
“Says you. See you in a minute,”  
“Fuck off,”

Sal finished off his pizza and took his hoodie off, leaving nothing but shorts and a black tank top. He tapped a solitary finger on his mask for a moment and decided to put on some pj pants on instead. He wouldn’t want to make Travis uncomfortable, especially since he rarely invites Sal to his room. Sal saw him as a private person and respected that. He knocked on his door again and Travis open it, his eyes shut tightly.  
“Just come in already. Don’t stand there,” he complained and Sal closed the door behind him, prompting a shocked look on Travis’ face.  
“Are you alright, Trav?”  
“Why?”  
“Are you?”  
“I was until you start asking bitchy questions,” Travis huffed and Sal nodded.  
“Good. I’m glad you’re okay,” he said, sitting at the end of Travis’ bed. Travis scooted closer to the wall and tucked his legs into a ball.  
“Thanks for the pizza,” he whispered and Sal tilted.  
“What was that?” Sal smirked and Travis rolled his eyes.  
“Ugh, don’t be gay,”  
“I wasn’t?”  
“Yeah you were. Stop,”  
“Stop what?” Sal laughed in a generally confused tone and Travis motioned to all of Sal.  
“That,”  
“Me?”  
“Yeah. It’s gay to look at,”  
“You’re gay to look at,” Sal challenged back and Travis bristled. He slicked his hair back and turned away, a smile play at the corner of his lips, which vanished quickly. Sal could’ve sworn he was imagining it.  
“But really, dude. You rarely ever invite me to your room. Doll did something come up?”  
“No. Just stay,” Travis mumbled as he buried his face in his knees.  
“I will. For how long?”  
Silence.  
“Trav?”  
He shook his head with his face still buried in his knees. Sal reached out slowly and cleared his throat.  
“Do you mind?”  
“Huh?” Travis mumbles and lifted his head enough for his single eye to be seen. Sal showed him his hand and Travis leaned in to his touch.  
“Do whatever,” he muffled as he drew his knees up closer to his face. Sal slowly stroked his back and kept an even space between them.  
“How’d you know I liked bacon in my pizza?”  
“Huh?”  
“How? I never told you,”  
“Well, I’ve noticed because I like to take note of everything my friends like and do. Even little things. It helps me get a better understanding of them for the future. You seemed pretty into the bacon pizza last time you ate pizza in general. I’ve never seen you eat any other kind,” Sam explained and Travis lifted his head.  
“That’s creepy, dude,”  
“I know you don’t really think so. We all do it subconsciously sometimes,”  
“Well, whatever it is, thanks,”  
“That’s the first time you’ve been nice to me in a long time,”  
“Shut the hell up,”  
“Alright,” Sal chuckled and Travis leaned back.  
“I’m tired,” Sal yawned.  
“Don’t leave,” Travis popped up and Sal seemed taken back.  
“I won’t,” he assured the other boy and he nodded.  
“Do whatever, sleep wherever, just don’t leave,”  
“This doesn’t sound like you, but I promise I won’t,” Sal whispered and laid next to Travis, who shuffled away to keep a heterosexual distance between them and they turned their backs to each other.  
“Goodnight, Trav,” he whispered and he grunted in response. Sal unbuckled the bottom straps to his mask and let air get in form underneath. He let himself fall into a dark abyss as his body untensed into a lump.


	8. Chapter 8

Sal woke up and heard a knock at Travis’ door. He cracked open an eye and Travis slithered our of bed to the door. Larry stood in the doorway.  
“Aye, where’s Sal?” Larry said quietly and Travis turned to Sal.  
“Why?”  
“We need to discuss the band. We need you, too. Come on. Bring Sal with you,” Larry motioned with his hand and headed back out. Sal got up and aimed his attention to Travis.  
“How’re you feeling?”  
“I’m fine. Just get out,” Travis grumbled and Sal walked out of the room, the soft carpet not revealing his light tracks. Everyone’s attention turned to the boys and whispered amongst themselves at the table with their eyes still on them. Sal tilted his head and scratched his arm.  
“What the hell? Why’re you circled around like you’re trying to summon a ghost on a Ouija board?” Travis spat and they all Rolled their eyes.  
“So, Sal was in your room, huh?” Larry smirked and Sal sighed and interrupted Travis as he was about to speak.  
“We didn’t fuck, Larry. So what is it we all assembled for?”  
“Well,” ash began and Todd chimed in.  
“We got our first show at a place that isn’t some convention. We’re gonna perform at a real show,”  
“That’s great, guys. But have you found anything dark around that area?” Sal picker at his skin nervously.  
“We haven’t gotten that far yet,” ash pulled Sal closer into a hug.  
“We’re gonna start checking it out soon,”  
“But we need to make sure you’re energized before going. We have a week to practice and we need to keep up. Now, Neil and I are going out,” Todd concluded and pecked him on the cheek. Neil and Todd smiled and got up together. Sal felt his braid coming out and couldn’t find ash anywhere. Wasn’t she just here a moment ago? Sal took the hair tie out and began working on it again at the table.  
“Oh god,” Travis said disgustedly  
“What?” Sal paused.  
“Nothing,”  
“Can you help me with this?” Sal asked innocently and Travis’s face contorted.

“You don’t have to. I just don’t like doing it myself unless they’re pigtails,”   
“Ask ash, I’m not your fucking hair stylist,”  
“You are now~”  
“No,”  
“Okay,”   
“Fine,” Travis growled and tugged Sal’s hair back. His hands fumbled and Sal cleared his throat.  
“Do you even know how to braid hair?”  
“No, but gimme a minute!” He huffed and Sal chuckled.

“Here,” Sal moved Travis’ hands in a braiding motion and Travis jerked lightly.  
“Sorry, do you wanna stop? I can braid it myself,” Sal spoke softly and Travis shook his head.  
“Why do you even try looking like a chick anyway?”  
“I think any style can be unisex if people just stop bitching about it,” Sal replies coldly.  
“Whatever,” Travis mumbled under his breath   
“Mhm. ‘Whatever’ my ass,”  
“Don’t be fuckin gay,” Travis hissed and Sal handed him the hair tie and said nothing for a while.  
“Y’know, I had a crush on a girl once,” Sal spoke wistfully and Travis paused and stepped back.  
“I tied up your damn hair and it looks like shit. You’re welcome,” Travis turned heel and headed for his room.  
“Travis?”  
“What do you want?”  
“Are you okay?”  
“Fuck off,”  
“Mkay,” Sal responded as Travis shut his door and headed to the apartments. He pulled up his hood and treaded slowly. The air was chilled and he could faintly smell grass and something he couldn’t put his finger on. He stuff his hands in his pockets as leaves fell off of trees around him. He loved the scent of fall. As he approached the apartments, he felt his phone buzz and saw that Larry had texted him.   
“Hey dude, are you at the apartments?”  
“Yeah,”  
Sent.  
He put his phone back into his pocket and made his way into his old home. His dad was in the kitchen and greeted him with a smile.   
“What’s up, Sal?”  
“Not much, Dad. Just stopping by. I’m waiting for Larry,”   
“That kid has grown so much. You and him both have,”   
“Yeah. I guess we did,” Sal sighed and stared at a family photo. He plopped into the couch and waited for Larry. He watched the doorknob jiggle and Larry came in.   
“Aye, dude. Hey, Henry,” he smiled and Henry gave him a little wave before disappearing in his room. Larry motioned with his head and Sal got up and followed him to the treehouse. Larry lit a cigarette as soon as he got in. Sal day across from him with his legs crossed. Larry’s eyes were tinted and he turned to Sal.  
“What’s up with your hair?”  
“I let Travis braid it. He sucked at it,” Sal explained and Larry nodded, blowing out a puff of smoke.   
“Of course he did,” he laughed and Sal rolled his eyes.

They both moved to the balcony end of the treehouse and stared at the darkening sky in silence.  
“I’ve been getting nightmares again,”   
“What’s up, dude? Do you need to talk about something?” Larry turned his head to look at Sal. He unbuckled Sal’s mask and the blue haired boy allowed it, exhaling his relief as the cool air touched his bare face.   
“Thanks, Lar. And yeah, yeah I do,”  
“Lay it on me, dude,”

“Do you think I’m a bad person? For what happened all those years ago?”


	9. Nightmares

He crashed through a forest with mud that reminded him of blood. He covered his mouth and held in his disgust and ran faster. He heard a high pitched scream behind him and Sal could see a figure in the distance that, as he got closer, seemed to look like a little girl. Her purple hair flowed in the wind and she disappeared before he could reach her.  
“No, come back! Please!” He tried to shout as he got closer to where the girl once wince stood, but his words couldn’t escape his throat. The screaming got louder and the invisible pursuer became louder as he continued. He felt a sharp pain in his shoulders and he let out an intense cry. He gave in and let himself fall onto the muddy forest floor. There was a giant shadow figure standing above him that reached out to him menacingly and Sal screamed. He felt like there was a weight on his chest and he couldn’t breathe. The floor beneath him dissolved into a dark ocean that he sank into. The shadow hovered above the water and watched him. It stuck it’s head under and it slowly contorted into the shape of his faceless mother, floating above him. She spoke, despite the crushing pressure of the ocean around them.  
“Do you think after all this time, I’d forgiven you? If you had just listened, all of this wouldn’t have happened. Why did you do this, Sal?” She spoke with a venom in her voice. He cried and thrashed in the water desperately. She floated closer to him as everything got darker.  
“You. Answer me,” she demanded and he couldn’t speak.  
“You did this. Why didn’t you listen to me? Why would you let that happen to me, Sal? Tell me!” She got more aggressive and reached out for him with ill intent and a warm hand clasped his gently. His faceless mother had vanished and he could breathe again.  
“It’s okay, Sallyface,” a soft voice chimed in. Megan floated above him and took both of his hands. She looked more alive and vibrant.  
“They’ll all be okay. Don’t worry,” she smiled.  
“Megan? Where did you go?” He cried and he was back in the forest. She was standing in front, a smile on her face.  
“They’ll be just fine,” she laughed and skipped away until she faded, leaving Sal terrified on the grassy forest floor.  
“Megan? Where’d you go?”  
No answer.  
“Megan?”  
No answer.  
“Larry? Ash? Todd?”  
No answer. He was alone and he stood up and walked through the forest with burning shoulders. His throat still stung and he sobbed quietly as he held himself for comfort.  
“Neil? Dad?”  
No answer. He saw a light somewhere near and let his feet guide him towards it. He blinked and he was at the treehouse again. Alone.  
“Lisa?”  
No answer. He went inside the treehouse and there was nothing in it. Just an empty treehouse. He tried speaking and nothing else could escape. He made his way somewhere unfamiliar way beyond where he’d ever gone.  
“Travis?” He sniffled and looked around at the empty plain. He felt something warm and familiar engulf him and he smiled.  
“There you are.”

Sal woke up late and was covered in his own sweat.  
“Megan?” He whispered and nothing answered him. He turned on the light and popped his glass eye into his socket and equipped his mask and headed out into the living room and found Neil.  
“Where is everyone?”  
“Oh, hey Sal! They’re all asleep,”  
“Really?”  
“Yeah, you kept them up all night,”  
“What?”  
“You were screaming. Is everything okay?”  
“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine,” Sal mumbled and pinched the bridge of his nose and winced.  
“I have the biggest fuckin’ headache right now,” he grumbled and Neil shook his head.  
“I feel you. Here, take this,” he dug into a bag and handed it to him.  
“Thanks, Neil. You’re a lifesaver,” Sal smiled and Neil smiled in return.  
“Were you having nightmares again?”  
“Yeah. Did I bother you last night?”  
“Not at all. Todd and I were upstairs so we didn’t really hear it as loudly as everyone else. It only kept me up for about 20 minutes. Same goes for Todd. Travis was the most bothered. I’ve never seen someone so worked up like that. I don’t know what emotion he was conveying but he was conveying it hard,” he laughed and took a sip of his coffee.  
“Weird. Didn’t know he had emotions,” he joked and Ne covered his mouth and snickered.  
“I’m gonna go practice. What day is it today?”  
“Saturday,”  
“Cool shit. Aight imma go break my guitar,”  
“Have fun, Sal.”


	10. Chapter 10

“You want me to wear that shit?” Travis shrieked and Sal nodded confidently.   
“You want me to expose myself?” Travis let out another girly shriek and Sal sighed.  
“It’s a crop top, Travis. It won’t kill you. You don’t have to wear it but it’ll help you blend in with us,”   
“Faggotry, I tell you!”  
“Oh my god,” Larry groaned and threw the crop top at him.  
“Wear whatever. Just don’t look like you’re dressed to visit your grandma for thanksgiving. Come on, Sal,” Larry walked out with his hands in his pockets and Sal followed. They were all at the house getting ready to go. Ash sat Sal down to put his hair in his signature pigtails and she stared at him for a moment, processing. She jumped and started messing up his hair to give it a frizzy look.  
“Lookin like a rock star!” Ash grinned and Sal smiled back, letting her put his mask back on. Travis leaned in his doorway with his arms crossed. He seemed pissed.  
“I thought you didn’t wanna wear it?” Larry asked and Travis flipped him off. Larry returned the gesture with ease.   
“Alright, it’s time to head out! Is everyone ready?” Todd shouted and everyone nodded. Todd picked up a Starbucks drink he had on the table and kissed Neil before heading out. Neil gave Sal a small wave before heading back upstairs.  
“Travis, sit by ash or Sal today, take your pick, we don’t have all day,” Todd got in the front and Larry slid in next to Sal, putting his arm around him.

“Hey, dude,”   
“Hey, Lar,” Sal grinned behind his mask. Ash turned to Travis and smiled.  
“You should sit by Sal. I wanna sit by Todd,” she said sweetly.  
“You always sit by me,” Todd took a sip of his drink and turned the car on.   
“Mhm!” Ash gave Travis an evil smirk and he sat next to Sal and stared out the window.  
“Sal, are you feeling okay? We don’t want you to pass out on stage,” Todd asked as they began moving.  
“Can we stop somewhere and get something first?” Sal asked and Todd nodded.  
“McDonald’s?”  
“Sure,” Sal shrugged.  
“Chicken nuggets?”   
“Yup”  
“Of course. Anyway, we picked up something near the area but we need to actually be there to see how strong it is. Before we head on stage, I’m going to check around. You all know the drill,” Todd rambled on and Sal rested his head on Larry. Larry wrapped his arm around his shoulders in a one-armed hug. 

When they’d arrived, Travis sat alone with his arms crossed and Sal sat next to him. He was messing around with his guitar and Travis got up and went to the bathroom. He tilted his head and turned to Larry, who shrugged in response. Todd had come back with a device in his hands and he nodded.  
“It appears there’s a strong apparition here. I’m not sure what it is because it doesn’t seem like a usual shadow. But it gives off an intense energy. Sal, are you ready to fight this one? We’ve never fought something this big before,” Todd asked and he nodded.  
“Where’s Travis? We’re about to go on,” ash asked and Travis entered.  
“I’m right here, dumbasses. Let’s go,” Travis walked back out and they all headed onto the stage. Sal noticed Travis had mascara streaks under his eyes. Sal didn’t recall Travis ever getting into wearing mascara. He turned to the crowd and readied his guitar.  
“Who the fuck wants to hear some shit-heads scream for half an hour?” Sal asked and the crowd roared in response.  
“Cool,” he shrugged and played the beginning notes. Ash began singing first and Sal snuck a look at Todd. Todd was messing with a built in device he added to his instrument while playing in the background. Sal and Larry called it the ‘ghost-hunter 9000’ while Todd just insisted on calling it the ‘tracker’. Sal heard a whisper in his ears and sang along next to ash. The whispering got louder and angrier as they performed. The crowd seemed possessed as they all swayed in unison. Why were they moving like that? Sal began to tremble a little and sweat rolled down his face. The mask was making him too hot and he started panting. Everything became blurrier and ash’s singing became muffled. He could hardly hear everything and got tears looked down on his face, collecting on the bottom of the mask. He heard only buzzing. The buzzing got louder and louder and the room got darker. He felt like he was tripping and he looked to see a panicked Todd. He kept his composure and continued performing. He looked at his friends and all of them began noticing how sluggish he’d become.  
“Sal?” Todd whispered behind him and that was the only human voice he could hear.  
“Why?”   
“What?” Sal mumbled.  
“Why?” The voice repeated and Sal shook his head, continuing to sing. The sounds around him grew quieter and he heard ‘no’ chanting over and over in his ears.  
“Sal, listen to me. The song’s almost over. Try to make it through. Sal? Sal!?”  
The room became a neon green and the crowd was hypnotized. They all froze still. Sal panicked and tried to reach for Todd but his guitar flashed and there was a deafening roar in his ears. He felt like something was pulling at him. ‘No’ repeated itself until it all jumbled together. His ears felt like they’d bleed at any moment and when the song finished, he gagged. All the sound around him came crashing in all at once and he felt like throwing up. The crowd was still frozen and they didn’t seem to notice what was going on anymore, like they were all in their own individual worlds.

“Sal, it’s gone!” Todd ran to his side. He tried to regulate his breathing as his knees shook. He felt so drained and tired. He let his eyes close for a moment and collapsed. Ash screamed and everyone ran to the for t of the stage. Sal was doubles over in pain on the ground at the crowd’s feet. They were still in a trance, to their luck. The stage wasn’t too high up but it was enough.  
“Sal!” Ash, Larry, and Todd all ran to him. He felt Larry scoop him up and he cried out in response. The pain numbed slowly and he stopped fighting back the urge to sleep. He was in a dreamless sleep, with nothing but a black void surrounding him.   
“Sal? Please stay with us, buddy.”


	11. Chapter 11

“So, you think I’ve gone? Vanished? Look at you. You’re broken. And I’m still here. I always will be. Your ‘friends’ won’t last forever either. Nor will you. But where will they be when you’ve reached your end? Your vessel is weak and fragile. So soft, yet you can easily crack and shatter. It’s interesting, though. Humans can break mentally or physically. Sometimes both? And yet some find ways to avoid it by inflicting it onto others. You’re all pathetic little creatures. Don’t try to deny it, Sal Fisher,” a calm voice lulled Sal in his slumber.  
“You had quite a nasty fall because of me. It appears you’ve broken something important.”  
“You don’t think so? Well, you’ll see soon enough when you wake up.”   
“Waking up is such a strange concept. It’s like being reborn after a tragic death. You sleep To escape the waking world. It’s like a little taste of sweetened death. Though, both are inevitable, waking up is the only time you can escape from that temporary ‘death’. Am I making sense to you, Sal? Most likely not. But to me, that means nothing.”  
“Wake up, Sal Fisher,”  
“Wake up.”

Sal opened his eyes and looked around. He winced and looked around the bright, white, sterilized room. He turned his head to see Travis sitting next to his bed in a waiting chair, his leg bouncing up and down and a shitty expression on his face.  
Sal raised a brow at him and Travis’ jaw clicked. All he could move was his head and he blinked.  
“Trav?” He croaked and Travis shook his head and crossed his arms.  
“Sal, what the hell happened?” He demanded quietly and Sal closed his eyes.

‘You’ll see soon enough when you wake up’

“Leg,”   
“What?” Travis growled  
“Leg,”  
“Christ, Sal. You sprained your damn leg,” he spat and Sal was confused as to why he was so angry.  
“What’s wrong?” Sal asked and got no answer. Travis’ leg bounced quicker and he shook his head. He covered his face.  
“Travis?” Sal spoke more clearly. Travis’ head popped up swiftly  
“They said you were dead for 10 minutes, Sal,” Travis’s voice cracked and tears poured down like a waterfall.  
“I-“   
“Sal, what happened?” Travis sniffled and he didn’t answer.  
“Sal!”   
“Shhh” Sal closed his eyes and furrowed his brow under his mask. He began moving each finger, one at a time until he could move his left hand.  
“When did my mask,” he started for a second and Travis interrupted.  
“They had the doctors out your mask back on before I came in,”   
“Good,” Sal whispered and rested his head back.  
“I need to throw up,” Sal spoke and Travis gave him a small trash can. Sal angled it to his face and vomited in it. After he had finished he leaned back.   
“Why’re you so worried?” Sal asked, prepared to get screamed at.  
“Because,” Travis started calmly.  
“You were pronounced dead. For. 10. Fucking. Minutes,”  
“You aren’t usually worried about me,” Sal whispered, genuinely confused. Travis glared at him and wiped his tears away.  
“I’m not getting into this today, Sal. And fix your mask, they did a shitty job of strapping it to your fag face,” Travis grumbled and got up.  
“Can you stay? I’m not ready to talk to the others yet,” Sal asked softly and Travis stopped in his tracks. He watched Sal for a minute before nodding and going back to his left side. Sal tugged on Travis’ belt loops as he walked over.  
“What?”  
“Can you help me with my mask? I can only move one arm,”   
“Yeah,” Travis sighed and properly buckled the back of his mask. Sal weakly raised his arm and hugged him before he could pull away.  
“Thanks, Trav. You’re a good friend,”  
“I’m really not,” Travis whispered and gave in to the hug.   
“You are. You just need practice,” Sal whispered back. Travis sniffled and sobbed quietly. He smiled and gently pat his back. Travis pulled away and went to sit down and Sal fell asleep again, the familiar numbness returning.

He was sitting in Lar’s old room at the apartments again. Larry was next to him, head banging to Sanity’s Fall while he rested on a beanbag chair with his mask beside him on the floor. He giggled softly and Larry smiled at him widely.  
“Dude, you gotta join me! Their new song is fuckin’ good!”   
“Okay,” Sal shrugged and joined him. His pigtails whipped him across the face and his smile grew wider.   
“Sal!”  
“Yeah, Lar?”  
“Where are you?” Larry asked worriedly and he stopped head banging.  
“What do you mean, dude? I’m right here,” Sal laughed nervously  
“Sal? How the hell? Sal! Shit shit shit!” Larry put his hands on his head and he ran through the wall and he was in the forest again.  
“Sal?” Larry’s voice called again.   
“Larry? Why can’t you see me?”  
“Sal!” Larry called for a last time.  
“Larry!” Sal looked around. He couldn’t see anyone else.   
“Larry? Larry, please come back!”  
Silence.  
“Dude?” He mumbled and gave up. He trekked through the forest calmly.   
“Aren’t you bothered?” A voice whispered.  
“Not anymore,”  
“Is that so?”  
“Yup. This place has gotten too familiar to be bothersome. Just give up,” Sal rolled his eyes as he hugged himself.  
“Your friends are decaying. And you’ll decay with them,”  
“I have nothing to say to you,”   
“That doesn’t sound very true. You shouldn’t lie, Sal Fisher,”  
“And you’re an expert on liars?”  
“Of course I am,”  
“I wouldn’t doubt that,”   
“Now, now. There’s no need to get sassy. Can’t I offer you something you’d want more than anything?”  
“What do you mean?”   
“Anything you want, I can make it your reality. Just name it,”  
“I want you to leave me alone,”  
“I’m afraid that’s not one of the things I can offer you. Maybe you want to live a perfect life? Maybe start over completely? Maybe you want to live a life where your mother is still alive? Maybe one where your face was never damaged? Perhaps you’d want to live a life where you can be with someone you’re close to romantically?”  
Sal stopped in his tracks and looked around.   
“And who would that be?” Sal crossed his arms.  
“Whoever you’d want it to be,” the voice spoke softly.  
“That’s pretty vague,” Sal continued walking  
“It doesn’t have to be. I’m offering you paradise of your choosing,”  
“I’m not interested,”  
“Why not?” The voice had gotten a bit more aggressive.  
“I’m just not. That sounds way too good to be true. I’m not stupid,”   
“I never said you were,” the voice hissed.  
“I don’t even know you. Why would I take up an offer like that from someone I don’t know? That would definitely label me as stupid,” Sal shot back and the voice grew silent.  
“Are you done? Good,”   
“You will regret not taking my offer, Sal Fisher,”  
“And you’ll regret not kissing my ass. Leave me alone,” Sal groaned and headed toward a bright gateway. He felt claws digging at his shoulders, trying to pull him back and he yelped. He clung to the doorway and entered. He stepped out on the other side back into Larry’s room. He rubbed his shoulders and grumbled. Why was his shoulders always where he got hurt in his dreams? He noticed the room was empty and Larry was gone. All was silent for a while and he sat on a beanbag and panicked.   
“Wake up.”


End file.
